Latest / Fostering Faith / How to Read the Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide for You

Transcript

How to Read the Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide for You · Fostering Faith

0:00
Welcome back to Fostering Faith. I am so glad
0:02
that you're here with me today. Wherever you're
0:05
listening from, whether you're driving to work,
0:06
sitting in the school pickup line, getting ready
0:09
for practice, or just maybe some quiet time on
0:12
a walk or on the treadmill. And I think that
0:15
this episode is really gonna speak to a lot of
0:19
people because today we're gonna be talking something
0:21
about... I don't think that we've ever recovered.
0:25
And so we've dived into different topics and
0:27
we've talked about the people in scripture and
0:30
we've talked about different topics in scripture.
0:32
But how about something that might sound real
0:36
simple, but it's actually kind of life -changing
0:38
once you get it right. And it's how to read the
0:42
Bible. Now, before you start to scroll or stop
0:45
listening, Tracy, I already know how to read,
0:49
hang with me. Because we're not talking about
0:51
just reading the words on the page. I'm talking
0:53
about hearing from God himself through his word.
0:57
And you know, the Bible is the only book that
1:01
reads you back every time that you open it. It
1:05
exposes your heart, your motives, your fears
1:07
and your faith. It's alive. It sharpens you like
1:13
a two edged sword. And that comes from Hebrews
1:15
412. And it tells us in today, we're going to
1:18
be talking about how to read the scripture. in
1:22
a way that makes it come alive and practical
1:24
and transformational. And so, so let's start
1:28
here. Why do we even read this book? I mean,
1:32
it was written so long ago. Like, does it even
1:35
apply to me now? I mean, it's so outdated. There's
1:39
nothing in it for me. Some people read it because
1:41
they think they're supposed to. Some because
1:44
they're in a Bible plan with their friends and
1:46
they don't want to fall behind. Others because
1:49
they're desperate. like God I need you to speak
1:54
to me right now or I'm gonna lose it and Let
1:59
me tell you I've been in all three of those places
2:01
But the real reason that we reads the Bible is
2:05
because it's the way that God reveals himself
2:08
One way because he reveals himself in so many
2:11
ways, but this is just a personal way that he
2:15
can speak to you and it's how he speaks to a
2:19
lot of us and And it's how we learn. It's not
2:23
to like overwhelm you. It's how we learn who
2:28
he is, not who we imagine him to be, not what
2:32
culture says he is, but who he really is. The
2:37
Bible tells us a story of God's heart, his faithfulness,
2:41
his justice, his mercy, his plan to redeem us
2:45
through Jesus. So if you ever feel like God is
2:50
silent, maybe he's just waiting for you to open
2:53
the one place that he's already spoken. Think
2:58
of it like this. You can't have a strong relationship
3:01
with someone that you never listen to. And the
3:05
Bible is God's voice on paper. So before you
3:10
read, let's pause and let's pray something simple.
3:16
Open my eyes. Help me understand your word and
3:20
let it shape me. That's it. You've just invited
3:25
the author into the reading and we've talked
3:29
about this before. It doesn't have to be a long
3:31
prayer. God, help me. Open my eyes. You see my
3:34
heart. Fix what's broken in there. And so as
3:41
someone that never really read the Bible, like
3:46
kind of growing up and had a King James Version
3:49
given to her whenever she got married, who had
3:51
a dad that had a bunch of different Bibles and
3:54
like all the things. It's choosing the right
3:57
Bible. And so now let's talk about translation.
4:01
And so if you're going to a Christian bookstore,
4:03
if you're going to Barnes and Nobles, if you're
4:05
going to go on Amazon, what is ESVA? BC, NLT,
4:13
NKVJ, all these alphabets. Looks like the alphabet
4:17
soup. What is this stuff? Listen, the goal is
4:23
not to sound smart. It's to understand what you're
4:26
reading. And if you're teaching and love precision,
4:31
we in seminary, we're told to get N -A -S -B.
4:40
1995 and they also have a 2020 version which
4:43
I have and then ESV are excellent but if you're
4:49
new and want something easier to digest NLT or
4:55
CSB and they're very simple and if you're looking
5:00
for a daily reading plan sometimes you read both.
5:04
I'll open the NASAB for accuracy And then I'll
5:08
look at the NLT for clarity. God isn't impressed
5:13
by the letters on your Bible spine. He's after
5:16
the openness of your heart when you read it.
5:20
You wouldn't try to learn a language in a dialect
5:22
you don't understand. And the same applies here.
5:26
Get a Bible that speaks to you. I had a King
5:30
James Bible. And I was so frustrated trying to
5:34
read that thing. I was having to look up everything.
5:37
Brethren, art thou? What in the world? I am frustrated
5:41
and I don't want to read you. Like get away from
5:43
me. And so then I went to the NIV and then we
5:46
had a pastor that talked about the ESV. Now in
5:51
school they're talking about the NASB. I have
5:55
an NLT Bible. I have a new King James Bible because
5:59
it was my dad's and so it there's so many out
6:02
there, you're gonna open it and you're gonna
6:04
be like, yes, this fits my language. They even
6:06
have a teen Bible. They even have a message version
6:12
Bible. And so they have a ton of different Bibles
6:15
that are out there that are just waiting for
6:18
you to open it and just see if you like how it
6:21
reads. And then you also have the digital Bible.
6:25
So the U version Bible app, it's free. It's full
6:27
of amazing reading plans, audio options, Yes,
6:31
you literally have the Bible read to you while
6:34
you drive to Target. And please know that I have
6:36
used that feature so many times. And that is
6:40
why my husband does not care to read. And he
6:46
sits at the kitchen counter every morning and
6:48
he listens to the Bible plan. in the morning
6:52
and he has his scripture read to him. He is an
6:56
audible learner versus a vigil. He likes to listen
6:58
to it versus sit down and read it. And also too,
7:02
if you're driving late at night and you just
7:04
need just to hear the word. I did that whenever
7:10
my dad was being transferred to a different hospital.
7:12
And so I just needed. Just need to hear scripture.
7:16
And so the Bible read to me for two and a half
7:20
hours on my way up to Springfield and so I chose
7:24
to listen to The Gospels and so I went and just
7:28
started and started with Matthew and just let
7:31
it read to me And so it's just a great way just
7:34
to sit back and relax and have that word just
7:36
kind of penetrate your atmosphere And so now
7:40
here's a question that I get all the time. Where
7:43
do you start? So if you're new, start with the
7:47
Gospel of John. John focuses on who Jesus is,
7:52
his heart, his words, the miracles in his missions.
7:57
And I asked, and so that's even where our pastor
8:01
says to start is in the book of John. And then
8:03
I asked Derek and he's like, you know, I'm going
8:05
to say James. And then Gia says, That she would
8:10
start in the book of Proverbs because it's the
8:12
book of wisdom and you can kind of like skip
8:14
around and you don't have to know the backstory
8:16
you don't have to do who the guy is and it's
8:19
just like you can read a verse a day or you know,
8:22
she listens to Bryce Crawford and She talks about
8:27
how he has walked through Proverbs and it's So
8:34
important that the number one thing that you
8:37
do It's just buy a Bible get a Bible decide that
8:41
you're gonna do it and Then you can move into
8:44
acts to see what happens when ordinary people
8:48
get filled with extraordinary faith and then
8:52
maybe go to Philippians or James for encouragement
8:55
on practical living and that's why my husband
8:58
likes James so so much is because It's just the
9:03
way that you're supposed to live, just the way
9:06
common ground is and just how you're supposed
9:09
to be. And if you've been reading for a while,
9:13
mix it up. Try reading one book from the Old
9:16
Testament and one from the New or follow a one
9:20
year Bible plan, not as a checklist, but as a
9:24
rhythm. And here's what I tell you my youth is
9:30
Don't read to finish. Read to be changed. And
9:35
that also is such a great thing. And I will be
9:39
your first person to say, I don't like a reading
9:42
plan in a year. I don't do them. I'm not going
9:45
to do it. If I need to sit with Jesus in John
9:49
15 for two weeks, I'm going to sit with him in
9:52
John 15 line by line for two weeks, two months
9:57
until I have squeezed everything that I need.
10:00
to squeeze out of that. And I do feel like yearly
10:06
like you got it right through the year and you
10:07
get behind and you get overwhelmed and then you're
10:09
just reading it just to check mark the boxes.
10:11
That's not changing you. That's rushing you.
10:14
And so I don't like that concept. Like I just
10:18
I'm not going to do it. Now, that said, will
10:23
I do it if he says do a reading plan in a year?
10:27
Yes, I absolutely I will follow what he has to
10:30
say. But if I have anything to say about it,
10:32
I don't want to be on a plan. I want to go where
10:35
he leads me to in the morning and and that's
10:38
it. And so with those, you know, remarks, if
10:44
you are a person that loves structure, then get
10:47
a reading plan. If you are someone that needs
10:49
a group, then do a Bible plan with somebody and
10:52
that way you have accountability because it's
10:55
quality over quantity. One verse that sticks
10:58
in your heart is better than five chapters you
11:01
can't remember. And don't skip the Old Testament.
11:05
It is full of God's fullness and foreshadowing
11:09
of Jesus. If you only read the new, you miss
11:14
the setup for the story. Okay, so let's talk
11:18
about how to read. Because a lot of people open
11:20
their Bibles, read two verses and thinks, I don't
11:23
get it. And they close it. And I've been there.
11:25
I've done that. So here are some frameworks that
11:30
you can write down. You can come back to later
11:34
on and, you know, just like make a tag or something
11:36
on whatever you're listening to. And so two frameworks
11:39
that can change how you look at it. And so the
11:43
acronyms are SOAP and HEAR. SOAP stands for S,
11:48
scripture. Write down one verse that stands out.
11:52
O, observation. What's happening here? What's
11:57
the main idea? A is application. What can I do
12:01
with this? And P is pray. Talk to God about it,
12:07
because He's going to be the one to reveal it
12:10
to you. So, for example, if you read Philippians
12:13
4 .6, don't worry about anything. Instead, pray
12:18
about everything. And so, that's your scripture.
12:24
So what's your O? It might be, Paul reminds believers
12:29
to replace anxiety with prayer. What's your A?
12:34
How I can choose prayer over panic. P, God, when
12:45
I start to worry, remind me to come to you first.
12:51
And that's how the word becomes alive. And so
12:56
we have the acronym here. And so H, highlight
12:59
a verse that speaks to you. E, look up and explain
13:05
what it means. A, apply it to your life. And
13:10
R, is respond in prayer, obedience or action.
13:15
And so you have to have a response, you have
13:17
to have an action, you have to apply it, you
13:19
have to apply it. And so that's what I go over
13:22
all the time, is that you can read all the things,
13:26
but if you do not apply it to your life, then
13:28
what is the point? And you can do this as a family,
13:32
if you're a teen, if you're on your own. It turns
13:35
reading into reflection, and reflection turns
13:39
into transformation. And so they were talking
13:43
about that in class one day and they were talking
13:46
about, it's not about the grades, it's not about
13:49
you getting a hundred percent, it's not about
13:51
you getting straight A's, it's about the transformation
13:53
that God's gonna do through you through this
13:57
school. And so I love straight A's, I like graduating
14:01
magna cum laude, I like having hundred percents
14:04
and I have delved into a whole new world. and
14:09
just spoke with my advisor for two hours the
14:12
other day because I'm coming from a totally different
14:16
world and it is a it's just a different it's
14:20
a different type of learning and so just to let
14:24
go of a grade and just be transformed and to
14:29
use all the resources that he has given me and
14:32
to learn how to wrestle with him on things is
14:39
such a different concept to me. And so here's
14:46
the big thing that I don't want people to miss
14:47
is context. And so you can grab a verse, post
14:51
it on Instagram or build a theology around it.
14:55
We have to ask who wrote this? Who are they writing
15:00
it to? And what is happening historically? And
15:06
for example, Philippians 4 .13, I can do all
15:09
things through Christ who strengthens me. Sounds
15:12
great. We can use that for everything, a football
15:15
game, a math test. But what's the context? Who
15:19
said that? But Paul was in prison when he wrote
15:24
that. He was saying, I can endure all things,
15:28
hungry, hardship, imprisonment, because of Christ's
15:34
strength. And so if you want to get into that,
15:42
usually the front of every chapter is going to
15:45
have context. Who wrote it, when they wrote it,
15:47
why they wrote it, who they wrote it to. And
15:50
so always going back to read that first page
15:52
of that chapter and get a study Bible in those
15:56
verses that we just talked about, the NLT, the
15:59
AST, this, you know, Christian standard Bible.
16:02
They have study Bibles. And then they will break
16:05
it down to you verse by verse or, you know, like
16:07
chunk by chunk at the bottom of scripture. And
16:11
so that just helps you. Like, what is he saying?
16:13
And then you go back to see what other people
16:15
say. But know that if you are a follower of Christ,
16:19
you do have the Holy Spirit that will illuminate
16:21
things if you sit with him long enough. And also
16:25
to a, you know, a great study Bible, a great
16:28
commentary. And I've said this before and I'll
16:30
say it time and time again. is the Bible Project
16:33
videos can really help you. So if you decide
16:36
to start in James, if you decide to start in
16:37
John, if you decide to start in Proverbs, YouTube,
16:41
the Bible Project, and pick the video of where
16:45
you're going to read and he will break it down
16:48
to exactly what you need to know, who wrote it,
16:51
why they wrote it, and then it just makes it
16:53
come alive because it's animation. Don't think
16:55
it's childish. Don't think it's foolish. Don't
16:57
think anything of that nature because you're
16:59
wanting to get closer to God and there is nothing
17:03
silly about anything. There's no dumb questions.
17:05
There is just there's there's nothing and and
17:08
he sees your heart posture. He sees like, okay,
17:11
like in your like in your back bedroom or you're
17:12
on your phone and you're like, oh my gosh, this
17:14
is like for kids. Have childlike faith. Go to
17:18
him and be like, I don't understand this. Help
17:21
me. And having, you know, a good study Bible,
17:24
having a good commentary and a great video to
17:29
watch really just kind of illuminates that. And
17:33
so the Bible isn't meant to stay on the page.
17:36
It's meant to live in you. And so write verses
17:40
on sticky notes, keep a journal, pray scriptures
17:44
out loud, and ask yourself, what does this teach
17:48
me about God? What does this reveal about me?
17:51
And that is just, ugh, there's days. I just wonder.
17:57
Like why haven't you given up on me yet? I'm
17:59
just like, it's hard. And it reveals so much
18:05
about your heart posture, what is in there and
18:07
you think that you've squeezed out all of that
18:09
like anger and bitterness and jealousy and like
18:12
all the things and you think that you've squeezed
18:13
it out of there and then you'll read something
18:15
and you're like, oh, it's still in there. It's
18:18
still in there. And then why and what do I need
18:23
to change? And so whenever you start applying
18:26
what you read, that's when it sticks. The Holy
18:30
Spirit doesn't illuminate the text, he illuminates
18:33
you. And I had a person the other day and I was
18:40
like, so are we still connected to the vine?
18:41
And she was just like, absolutely. She was like,
18:46
I was talking with this older gentleman and he
18:50
was just like, I can just see. God in your eyes.
18:54
I can just see Jesus in your eyes. And so to
18:56
have that Jesus glow because you have left his
18:58
presence, just like whenever Moses leaves his
19:00
presence. After coming off the mountain, he's
19:03
glowing. And then so also, too, I was me and
19:06
my Derek were listening to Francis Chan the other
19:09
day on our walk, and he was just like, I'm not
19:12
your Moses. I'm not the person that can go up
19:16
on the mountain. The veil was torn. Jesus paid
19:18
the price. Go to God yourself. Go to your mountain.
19:20
I'm not your Moses. Quit sucking off of your
19:24
pastors your preachers your people you go you
19:27
go talk to him and um, I found it like so like
19:32
Awesome that he said that because we look to
19:34
people we look to these like Famous pastors and
19:36
like all these people to feed us feed us feed
19:38
us when we can go to the mountain ourselves the
19:41
veil has been torn and You can glow and he can
19:45
illuminate you just like he can illuminate anybody.
19:48
There's nobody better than anybody We're all
19:50
in the same playing field. He has no favorites.
19:54
And it's about that, that intimacy that you build
19:58
and you get so excited to get up in the morning
20:00
is because you're building a rhythm of that in
20:03
your life. Consistency matters more than an intensity.
20:07
And so I have that and I've said it before on
20:09
the podcast. Keep it simple, Saint. You don't
20:12
have to read for an hour. Start with 10 minutes.
20:15
Start with praying before you get out of bed.
20:18
Morning lunch. and before bed. Be intentional.
20:22
Set reminders if you have to. Just use a plan.
20:26
Find a Bible buddy, accountability person that
20:29
has intentions into habits. God honors consistency.
20:34
He meets you every time you show up because He's
20:37
never left. We leave Him. And so what happens
20:41
when you don't understand? And if you don't understand
20:45
something, don't panic. It's okay. Even pastors,
20:50
seminary students, educational doctorate people
20:54
wrestle with scripture, ask questions, research.
21:00
And above all, pray for revelation. Pray that
21:03
he just illuminate what that scripture means.
21:07
And John 14 26 says that the Holy Spirit will
21:12
teach you and remind you the truth. So lean in.
21:16
and understanding grows with time and relationship.
21:21
And so I want to leave you with this. The Bible
21:24
isn't about information. It's about transformation.
21:28
It's not a textbook. It's a love letter that
21:33
I feel is a love letter. And the more you read
21:36
it, the more you realize it's about the love
21:40
of God. It's not about rules. It's about a relationship.
21:45
God's Word is living and breathing and relevant
21:48
to every part of your life. Your school, your
21:52
family, your job, your anxiety, your purpose.
21:56
So don't overthink it. Just start. Because whenever
22:01
you open your Bible, heaven opens. And so we
22:06
would love to pray for you. And so dear Heavenly
22:08
Father, thank you so much for today. Thank you
22:09
so much for yesterday. Thank you for these listeners.
22:13
Thank you for your word. Thank you that you are
22:15
speaking to us through scripture for the truth
22:19
that corrects, that comforts, that strengthens.
22:22
Give us the hunger for your word like never before.
22:25
Help us not just read it, but live it. Transform
22:29
our hearts whenever we open your book. And in
22:32
Jesus name I pray. Amen. And so we hope that
22:36
this episode helps you guys. And if it did, share
22:39
it with a friend. Share it with somebody that
22:41
is trying to get into scripture. Like making
22:43
God's work a movement and not a moment. Thanks
22:47
for hanging out with us on Fostering Faith. Until
22:49
next time, keep growing your faith, trusting
22:52
and keep fostering your faith in every part of
22:56
your life. And then also too, since you stuck
22:59
around to the end, I had a question and I would
23:03
like some comments on there. If you feel like
23:07
a fostering faith, five -minute daily snack would
23:12
be beneficial. And so you know that I pray on
23:14
social media. I pray on YouTube every day. I
23:16
pray on social like TikTok and all the things.
23:21
I post a prayer every day. And so would a daily
23:25
Bible snack be helpful for you guys? And so leave
23:28
it in a comment. Let us know. Make sure that
23:30
you rate and review and so it can kind of grow
23:33
our podcast. And so we appreciate you guys. We
23:35
love you. We will see you next week.